#(but like. sometimes ppl just aren't the sort of people who are going to Understand me and i need to get better abt cutting bait)

[aeide-thea]

thinking abt like. if you introduce someone to something you're into and they're like, wow, that's so awesome, you're probably tickled that they dig it and are seemingly a kindred spirit at least that far; if you then introduce them to another thing you're into and they're again like, wow, that's so awesome, you're probably still pleased but also perhaps guiltily wondering whether they know any other adjectives; and if you introduce them to a third thing and yet again they're like, wow, that's so awesome, you're probably asking yourself, was any of that affirmation actually real or is this person just so reflexively accommodating that they've been turning off whatever independent critical faculties they possess in order to play a better yes-man???

(for values of 'you' that primarily mean 'me' obviously)

#just thinking a lot this week abt like. on the one hand i SO deeply need people to be kind and exhibit a readiness to be pleased #and i'm so relieved and grateful when i encounter that energy #but like. on the other hand i need to feel like i actually meet your standards‚ not like you don't HAVE any? #like. if a golden retriever wants to be pals it means nothing. if a cat wants to be pals it means everything #and like. if we're being honest i'm very very very picky abt. everything. i was going to specify areas but. it's all of them. #i just try not to actively be a dick abt it to anyone's face bc i think that's really important #(and like. i did a slightly less good job of hiding that in certain ways this week than i probably endorse so i'm thinking abt that) #(like i think the problem is that it always feels v important to be clear abt my tastes/Who I Am bc i want to be Understood) #(but like. sometimes ppl just aren't the sort of people who are going to Understand me and i need to get better abt cutting bait) #(and prioritizing courtesy abt their tastes over clarity abt mine in those cases) #idk. have very extremely not resolved the tension between my various values here #basically like goldilocks i need everything to be juuuuuust right which like. perfect IS the enemy of good and i know it!! #but at the same time like. it IS better to be alone than to be with people who chafe you raw. #but maybe eventually if you let them sand you into a new shape it'll be good? but. feels bad to be sanded. #anyway. strongly suspect this is not actually a coherent post i'm very sleepytired #this week was really really challenging and left me with a lot of food for thought. also some pie

[polyamorouscultureis]

Hi, I have a situation that I can’t really talk about with ppl. I need to talk to someone about it tho bc I’m so confused, I hope it’s ok I’m asking you? When I find ppl in similar situations online, all I see is them being shamed and told they don’t really love their partner. I thought maybe ppl who are poly have more understanding for how I’m feeling. That’s why I’m here. I’ve been with my partner for 12 years now and I’m so in love with them, I want to spend life with them. I also have a good friend that I like very much. I want her in my life. Recently I’ve been starting to think about her a lot more and even started to feel butterflies when I see her or when I think of her and I want to see her a lot more. I have no real desire to be with her like in a romantic or sexual relationship. I just want to spend time with her, hug/cuddle, laugh and talk. I want to be close to her emotionally, but not really sexually. I feel really confused about this crush and idk if I have to tell my partner? I don’t want to make them unnecessarily insecure or jealous. I know my partner and I think if I told them they’d want me to stop seeing this friend of mine. And this just makes me sad and idk if I’m being unfair here. Should I communicate my feelings even though I don’t even really know myself what these feelings mean? Maybe those feelings will pass and I’m just overthinking it?

I'll be honest with you, sometimes the lines are so blurry between friendship, romance, and sexual attraction that trying to find a label for it is more energy than it's worth. In my ideal world, everyone would do whatever they want to do with different people without feeling the need to put their desires into just one category.

I dont know if you have a crush on your friend, but it's clear that you care about both her and your partner very deeply. In my opinion, you should never feel the need to choose between a partner and a friend being in your life. But when the lines aren't clear I understand that it gets complicated.

I would talk to your partner about it, not necessarily trying to open the relationship or anything (unless you want to), but just getting clarity on what the two of you consider to be cheating (holding hands, cuddling, kissing cheeks, kissing lips, different kinds of sex, etc?) and make sure they are comfortable with the ways you interact with your friend. It doesn't necessarily mean dating them, but you can still be emotionally close. You mentioned, for example, wanting to cuddle with your friend but not be sexually involved. If your partner sees no issue with cuddling, then everyone gets what they want and no one feels guilty, jealous, or disappointed! If they're not, the two of you can spend some time drawing specific lines. And of course, reassurance that loving many people in many different ways doesn't mean loving anyone any less.

Queerplatonic relationships are also a thing you may have heard of that sounds sort of like what you and your friend are touching on. Might be worth looking into!

I hope this was somewhat helpful for you, and I hope all conversations you have go smoothly <3

#queerplatonic #polyam asks #advice #polyamory #polyam #polyamorous #lgbtq #poly #polycule

[cringelordofchaos]

My TMF Sadie hcs!!

Serbian + Ashkenazi Jewish

+ slight Saudi Arabic ancestry (I'm pretty sure a mutual posted this hc once so I stole it ... (I think it was you rory?? idkk))

Autistic as fuuuuck. (But not diagnosed)

Used to admire daisy from afar during middle school (GAY-) but was too shy to approach her

Demiromantic asexual lesbian bc i say so

Really close to her grandma

Generally gets along much better with elderly people rather than ppl her own age

Into Slavic paganism

Celebrates traditional eastern Orthodox holidays w her family (like Slava n such)

Genuinely has no friends but Daisy and like she sometimes sort of talks to Elliot (and Elliot n daisy and the teachers r practically the only people outside her family who aren't avoidant of her)

Sortt of tired of people constantly being scared the hell out of her

As opposed to her reserved personality, almost everyone in her family is extra loud and extroverted

Has three younger siblings, was sortt of forced to grow up a bit quicker

Really tries to be polite and well mannered and doesn't understand why people dislike her or fear her

Good grades

Sensory issues for meaty food (yuck)

knows something no one else does

Barely goes outside (implied to be canon in an Instagram post by RosyClozy)

Also believes møther might be real

Agnostic too ?? 😵‍💫😵‍💫

This is getting a bit confusing lmao

Genuinely thought she didn't mind not having a single friend until daisy made her realize that holy shit friends are actually. An important part of her life

She becomes friends w Lia at one point too btw too tired to bother to explain

I'm supposed to be studying right now I hate everything

Ermmm

Cat person

Her parents constantly nag her on to make new friends, and to go outside more often and to get more friends than just daisy (especially since daisy is busy quite often)

Her parents forced her to take folklore lessons when she was younger, fuckijg hated it bc she never liked physical activities in general

Sensory issues to light, genuinely sorta upset by brighter colours, the PE teacher is aware of this so they let her wear a darker shirt (,: (ep5 for reference)

Barely speaks out loud but her mind is full of random shit 24/7 and her literature teacher is horrified by her and her writing

Moved to USA Rosemeadow around 9-11 years old

Visits the graveyard quite often. For reasons.

Anygay

Boye bye

#tmf #the music freaks #tmf sadie #sadie tmf #freakblr #rosyblr

[rainbowsky]

I was just aimlessly scrolling through tumblr and came across a post saying " XZ is straight but WY is not* . This assumption was made because apparently: gay ppl know these things. So does that mean I'm now straight because I believe they're both part of the community in some way? 😃. Also if you're assuming WY is gay based on his words, then by that logic Xz past actions put him in close proximity to that.

We all assume based on perception, however to outright dismiss the possibilities on either side just seems absurd to me.

Hi Anon,

I apologize in advance for what's going to be a bit of an annoyed rant about 'gaydar'.

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

Both of them are obviously 'not straight', because they're in a relationship. Beyond that it's anyone's guess. I personally don't see any evidence of DD being into women. I talked about that in various previous posts, starting here. I think GG is likely bi, given their banter in the BTS.

The Tumblr post might have been referring to an exchange GG had with a gay acquaintance on Weibo where the guy said he thought GG was straight. Just so everyone knows: Gay people do not have 'special magic powers' to read each other's minds, which is what a lot of straight people seem to think (and even some gays).

This is especially true when someone is in the closet and actively trying to hide their sexuality. Men who attract hordes of women like GG does are doubly able to fly under the radar. There is a reason why gay people often do a lot of hand-wringing over whether the person they're attracted to 'plays for their team'.

And let's not forget the whole aspect of bi erasure that GG's friend might have been engaging in, whether or not he intended to.

I want everyone to please understand, because I get a lot of asks about gaydar:

GAYDAR IS A MYTH

And before anyone sends me a bunch of dubious studies claiming it's 60% accurate, those numbers actually prove that gaydar isn't real.

I actually get pissed off when people talk about gaydar and try to make it out to be some sort of real thing. It's not. All gaydar is for the most part, is garden variety gender role stereotyping being cast into some sort of 'folksy queer intuition' branding to make it seem less offensive. Gender presentation, mannerisms and vocal intonations can't tell us about someone's gender or sexuality.

It might sometimes be fun to joke around about certain stereotypical things as being 'very gay', and for the most part I find that harmless and sometimes make those jokes myself, but 'gaydar' can actually be harmful and misleading.

While most of us joking around about stereotypes understand that a flowy blouse or a tight mesh shirt aren't actually gay, a lot of people treat gaydar as science and genuinely believe it's real. I think we need to be cautious about what we claim, and circumspect about how we use 'gaydar'. It is one of those 'for entertainment purposes only' concepts, and should never be treated as hard evidence of anything.

So a gay person who happens to know GG in college will only know about GG, what GG wants him to know.

GG is even more expressive of queer Pride than DD, so I always find it funny when someone refers to him as straight. Whether gay or bi, he's clearly not straight.

And contrary to what a shocking number of BXG believe, straight guys don't fall in love with men and date/marry them.

(BTW, I'm not saying we should never use the term 'gaydar'. It can be fun, and an easy shorthand in certain contexts. I'm just saying we should always be cautious about how we use the term so that A] we're not hurting others and B] we're not misleading others. It's one of those fun but potentially harmful toys that should be taken away from us when we are irresponsible about how how we play with it.)

#lgbtpride #some guys are not straight guys #ask

[orbleglorb]

ok. i have more thoughts than what can fit in the tags but i don't want to respond to the post. so im going to copy and paste it here (with some changes so it doesn't show up in search):

fi ddlysticks: strange take but "thoughtcrimes aren't real even with your trans loved ones/friends and you can't hurt them just by thinking wrong somehow" and "you need to make an effort to change the way you mentally perceive your trans loved ones/friends because if you let yourself just see them as their birth gender in your mind, OR even just start mentally sorting them as 'AFAB/AMAB', you are much more likely to fuck up in your language and behavior" are things that can and should coexist

wor th beyond a number scale: I think the emphasis on a person not being evil for their thoughts is usually aimed the most if not specifically at people with intrusive thoughts, which are not controllable and usually not pleasant nor wanted by the mentally ill person experiencing them. Intrusive thoughts like this are especially common for people with morality OCD subtypes because our brains love to torture us by attacking our values. So saying stuff like "Yeah, your thoughts aren't technically hurting anyone, but you still need to purify your thoughts because those thoughts of yours ARE, in fact, your beliefs no matter how much you say they aren't" can be very harmful. Even if this post wasn't aimed at mentally ill people, any mentally ill person who reads this post is likely going to have extreme difficulty not viewing this post as aimed at them, like people with OCD who already obsess over the morality of their thoughts and whose mental disorders would swallow this post up happily.

my thoughts:

i don't like the line "Even if this post wasn't aimed at mentally ill people, any mentally ill person who reads this post is likely going to have extreme difficulty not viewing this post as aimed at them..." because at a certain point, it does become the mentally ill person's responsibility to cope. it becomes nigh impossible to not trigger people's ocd when talking about how your perception of your world and the people around you influence your actions. thoughtcrimes posts are not exclusive to those with ocd and intrusive thoughts, partly because of the term "thoughtcrime" being corrupted over time. but, like, "you are not morally reprehensible for struggling to change your perception of someone" and "it is your responsibility to change your perception of someone" are two concepts that need to co-exist, and that's what i thought the point the original post was trying to make. i feel like the person responding assigned morality that wasn't in the original post. which is understandable! most ppl who talk about this do assign morality to these concepts. plus, the op used word choices that weren't the best. hell, op could have subconsciously assigned morality to it, and that's their fuckin problem to fix! but i just didn't see any sort of "your thoughts are evil and you need to purify them" in the op. i saw "sometimes you will incorrectly gender people and nobody can change how you perceive things but you." your thoughts do not indicate your beliefs, but there is a difference between beliefs and perception of the world, you know? like you can believe that gender is malleable and trans people aren't their birth gender and still fall into thinking in a binary or struggle to perceive your trans friend differently. and again. you are not a bad person for that. i, as a trans person, struggle with this. it is really fucking hard for me to change how i see people in any context, and i still think in a very binary way because that's what society shoves down our throats. we are trained to think this way. so it doesn't make you a bad person for you to struggle with that. it doesn't make your thoughts evil. your thoughts don't always match your beliefs, and your beliefs can be hard to cement into your brain. your intrusive thoughts are not your beliefs or secret desires or anything!! but it also doesn't mean that how you perceive the world doesn't come out through your actions and words. it doesn't mean that you do not affect other people. sometimes you do things that hurt people's feelings and that is okay. it truly is okay. but we cannot just abstain from pointing out thinking errors and ways that people can inadvertently hurt others because it might trigger someone's ocd. that is a situation where the person needs to practice coping mechanisms, you know? it's not black or white, this or that. it's not good people and bad people. none of the things op said inherently have morality attached to them because it's so much more complex than most people will admit, or even be able to comprehend.

and, hey, i could be projecting here. i probably am. i spent a lot of time around people who struggle to see how they affect other people. i struggled with understanding how i affected other people. that's just a universal human thing, in my experience.

[champagnepodiums]

this is a completely different topic from what you've been discussing here...

but, um, the way fans nowadays babify drivers is so weird... not only that but also some of the tweets that cross limits while jokingly 'shipping' drivers. maybe that's just how most of the new fans tweet / talk abt drivers but psychoanalysing every little thing abt them and the extent to which some of them are babified is genuinely kinda insane to me lol..

i believe that also plays a big role in how the casual fans/on insta/even media to some extent behave towards certain drivers, especially the ones who are believed to have only female fans, which is so not true. it also doesn't help in reducing the amt of misogynistic comments made by men bcuz it makes them believe more in what they say abt watching the sport only for looks etc etc. but this just leads them to not take such fans seriously at all and yeah i mean ppl will probably say enjoy the sport like u want to and all but it would be easier for other fans as well if such ppl were a little more normal in the way they talk abt drivers i guess.

i know there's nothing anyone can do abt it and it's probably just the way the new generation of fans behave and act but i just wanted to get this out of my head..

okay so like no offense to you, everything I'm going to say right now is not directed at you, personally anon because i do think you mean well and i don't think you had any idea that you have touched on things that i feel strongly about but also things that are kind of sore spots for me atm but there are a few things i want to go over:

do we all know what psychoanalysis actually is? its not just this anon but i see this word tossed out so casually and like it's this terrible, awful thing and i do not think as a whole, this fanbase actually has a good grasp on what psychoanalysis actually is. it's become this word with a negative connotation and I just think we should generally have a conversation about that. Now, I am not any of your guy's mothers nor do I have the time to handhold everybody through this explanation for you today so I invite you to read this. I would like to tldr it to make a point and it's this quote from the article: "Psychoanalysis, in providing multi-layered and multi-dimensional explanations,  seeks to understand complexity." When people are psychoanalyzing drivers (and it's something that I've been accused of more than once), usually what is happening is a person or a group of people are trying to use the information that we know about a driver through interviews to understand this driver. And sure, sometimes lines are crossed but I do not think psychoanalysis is some terrible thing that is ruining this sport.

Men are going to devalue women in motorsport spaces no matter what- I would suggest you reflect on the idea of women not participating in babifying drivers (which I think you're talking about fangirls essentially which i have thoughts on fangirls in general but im staying on topic kind of) will somehow make men respect women in motorsport spaces. i do not want to assume anything about you, anon but i have a sneaking suspicion that you might be younger (and that's okay!!) and i just -- it really doesn't matter how "good" of a fan you are, men will find a reason to discredit you. i spent a LONG time trying to be a perfect motorsport fan and you know how much respect it has earned me among men? absolutely none. men are either going to respect you as a motorsport fan or they're not, it doesn't really matter what sort of fangirl type behaviors you partake in (or not). I'm not saying that women who aren't interested in the fangirl behaviors are wrong or anything but trying to refrain from them in hopes of avoiding misogyny is honestly a waste of time (I've been in sports fandoms for a decade so while this probably sounds harsh and pessimistic, I've been around the block a few times and if i could give any advice to 16 year old me, it would be to not give a flying fuck about what men in sports fandoms think of me).

I think i had a third thing but it's gone now lol. I think motorsport fangirls are amazing and kickass and honestly so incredibly knowledgeable about motorsports and i will always defend and advocate for their right to exist in motorsports. anon, if you're still reading this i really hope you know i'm not yelling at you or anything, like i'm not mad or anything. if you wanna keep talking about it, feel free, you can even dm me!!

#i did not proofread this #i think there are runon sentences galore and im sorry but not enough to proof read #i fear i come off as aggressive but i promise im not mad or anything im just passionate!!

[witikli]

(very long but very important post, sorry in advance) hi uh. i know a lot of my recent posts have been more political than usual but um cope bcus its not gonna stop!

it's more important than ever to deprogram ourselves and confront internal biases based on culturally christian & capitalistic society. duh. i see a lot of people saying this but not many giving examples or advice on how to actually go about doing so, other than just "do the research urself." so i'm trying to share some resources to maybe help people get started. if you take the time to check these out and find them helpful, i urge you to share them with your friends and family as well.

second thought and genetically modified skeptic on youtube have some fucking amazing videos deconstructing christian and capitalistic ideas that most ppl probably don't even realize are ingrained so heavily into our society and are reinforced in almost every single piece of media, like, ever. both of them cite reliable sources and include links to all of them in their video descriptions. they explain things thoroughly and make it easy to understand (also they both put really good captions on all of their videos, but do sometimes reference images on screen without explicitly describing them or providing alt text, though these usually aren't essential to the point of the video). and remember to be critical of ALL media, including the channels i've linked and other anti capitalist or anti (cultural) christianity media. the channels i've linked are both run by cishet white abled men, and they're bound to make mistakes.

so anyways, i think a lot of ppl see criticism about cultural christianity/capitalism and assume it doesn't apply to them. myself included. i am an indigenous + asian queer disabled neurodivergent person and i consider myself an anarchopunk communist. i've done hours upon hours of research about this stuff. this does not mean i am immune to propaganda and internal bias, as much as i liked to think i was for a very long time. people always ask how they can help, how they can contribute, how they can possibly make any sort of an effect when they're just one person, who probably can't afford to donate large amounts of money to the people who Can take things into their own hands. the most important thing you can do is educate yourself. which, by the way, costs nothing but your time, and is often really interesting and enlightening. this doesn't mean you have to read depressing stories about people who are less fortunate (though i encourage you to do that as well). i understand news fatigue, hopelessness, and the want to distance yourself from social media as a means of self care. educating yourself doesn't have to be draining and emotionally demanding.

this has kinda turned into an essay but i wanna end it by saying the thing that prompted this was something as simple as that post saying "when are we going to overthrow the government," with a reply saying "y'all couldn't even boycott chick-fil-a." regardless of whether or not you still eat chick-fil-a, there are countless other companies that are much worse that we don't even bat an eye at. i haven't eaten chick-fil-a since i first found out about their homophobic shit, and i thought that gave me some moral high ground to stand on, despite the fact that i still ordered clothes from companies like fucking shein. i know not everyone can afford to stop buying from unethical but more affordable and accessible companies, i can't either. but everyone can at least be aware of the affect these things have, and spread awareness about it. i can do better, and so can you.

#important #politics #cultural christianity #capitalism #anti capitalism #i dont fkn know what to tag this if yall could reblog w better/more tags i'd appreciate it #i want people to see this

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

why are you liking shipping posts made by proshippers? do you agree with their mindset or something? because that actually makes me lose respect for you ngl. although maybe i shouldn’t be surprised if you do seeing how you tolerate in*es*, and shown you like problematic ships such beatrice/mc or at the very least tolerate that kind of thing too seeing how you’ve told ppl who ship bea with mc and their classmates that “it’s cool” and you’re not judging. not to mention the fact that you’ve said stuff about how it being fiction “makes all the difference” to you or whatever. so yeah it really sounds like you’re a proshipper in the making unfortunately. idk how you can be “neutral” in something like this, you either agree with those freaks or you don’t, it’s not that hard.

...

*Deep sigh*

Okay, let's talk about this some more.

Friend, I understand your concerns, but I think you're kind of veering off and going in a completely different direction than me. You may be forgetting what I've explicitly said about this subject in the past (it's also possible that you never saw these posts, I realize that.) but I've never been a Pro-shipper and I'm not really one "in the making" either. I'm sad to have lost your respect (I got several anons who said something similar, so...ouch, but, it is what it is.) But I don't think you've got the right estimate of my feelings on this subject, nor of how invested I actually am. More than anything, I'd rather just stop talking about it. I can't remember, which post was it that I liked? I need to go back through my liked posts as I mostly just "like" posts to anchor them so I can return to them later, usually to reblog them but sometimes just because I don't have time to read them. Either way, I sort of doubt it was a 100% Pro-shipping post? Even if it was, I may have just had an idea to reblog it with my own take in the tags?

Regarding Neutrality

How can I be neutral? Easily. Being neutral is the easiest damn thing in the world, especially if you have no stake in the conflict (and are otherwise terrified of conflict as I am) and if you don't think it's a conflict that particularly matters. Which, yeah, I don't, sue me. I don't think there's anything immoral about remaining neutral either. I have heard it said before that neutrality in the face of oppression is, itself, siding with the oppressor. But first of all, no. Choosing neutrality may be cowardly in certain situations, and it's definitely not compatible with being an ally. But it is not "siding with the oppressor" because by definition, you are not choosing a side. That's what neutrality means, and people might have various reasons for doing it. Trying to erase that choice isn't helpful. "You either agree with these freaks or you don't." I am always wary of ultimatums like that, because a lot of situations aren't that simple for everyone.

Now all that said, that doesn't mean that I think people should choose neutrality in the face of oppression or injustice. They shouldn't. But onto my second point. This isn't one of those debates where staying out of the fight could reasonably be considered cowardly. At the end of the day, it's just shipping, and no, I truly don't care who people want to ship. Is fiction affected by reality? Are these ships truly no concern because they're fictional characters, or does this set a dangerous precedent? Dude, I don't know. I'm not a psychologist or sociologist or anything like that. I'm just a random cat on the internet who likes to analyze the storytelling and characters of the fiction I consume. I am a dork, not a professional. But because I don't know, I'm not going to take up arms for the stance that fiction affects reality, nor will I for the side that it doesn't.

Do some of these ships disgust me? Yes, they do. But the people who ship the problematic pairings aren't going to stop just because Antis on the internet tell them to. They're just going to block you and move on. (Which is...probably what you should do with them, really.) Several anons took issue with my addressing the people who ship Beatrice x Anyone in MC's year (for simplicity I'll just refer to them as Pro-shippers from here on out.) without judgement...but I think some of these anons forgot or didn't notice what I was saying to the shippers, which was asking them to tag properly. I was asking them to keep their content separate from everyone else's. Yes, I was polite about it, so? Approaching them politely is, most likely, the only way they would hear what I have to say. At least, I'd say it's more likely they'd listen to that over another person calling them pedophiles.

Ah yes, that reminds me. No less than three anons called me a pedophile for "supporting" the pro-shippers. Which uh...yeah, thanks for that. Look, I know your hearts are in the right place, and in a way, I really do respect that. But pedophilia is a real and serious danger. It's one of the lowest evils that the human race has ever spawned. In my opinion, it's the lowest, surpassing racism, misogyny, and all the rest. So, yeah, it's not just some all-purpose word that I would slap onto any ship that makes me uncomfortable. Not unless I felt like said ship actually was a depiction of adults preying on minors. Beatrice and MC are both teenagers. Is it creepy to ship them at their current ages? Of course it is. (I'm not sure anyone actually does that but either way.) But is it pedophilia? No...it's really not. In general, I think the reaction to some of these ships is overblown, and I don't think that's unreasonable, nor does it mean I'm "siding" with the pro-shippers.

In general, a lot of people took also took issue with my saying that "Shippers gonna ship" and called it a rather poor excuse. But I wouldn't say it was an excuse...it was more of an observation? My stating a fact about the way of fandoms? I wasn't saying that it was a good thing. As far as fandom communities go, shipping is a force of nature at this point. Nothing will ever stop it. This includes the people who favor the problematic ships. That doesn't mean I don't wish that these ships were never conceived. For a lot of them, I could truthfully say that the fandom would be better off without them. (...side-eyes sn*rry..) but I'm not looking to tell anyone else how to enjoy their favorite stories, because I'm a stranger on the internet. They're not going to listen to me, why should they? It's just not a fight that I'm interested in even having.

I have no doubt that you're a good person, anon. But I'm still not sure what I've done to offend you. I don't even want to get involved in this debate, and yet somehow, everyone wants me to have an opinion and they all want it to be the same as theirs.

#So tired of this subject to be honest #But the anons keep coming #And I get where you guys are coming from #I do #But you're really barking up the wrong tree #I am a defender of the downtrodden characters #Not shippers #Anti-Proship #Proship

[potatopossums]

No i don't feel ok.

I just sort of feel like I'm out of place and that the things i want aren't going to come into fruition, of that my dreams won't ever be as good as i hope for.

Part of me is like "what's wrong with me?" It feels like other ppl don't struggle with this. I don't understand why I struggle with wanting affection and emotional intimacy. Why can't I collapse into my friends' arms after a long day, and why my friends don't seem to need that from me either. It's not like i have the capacity for that all the time. But I do feel weird when i can't offer comfort. Or when i can't go to people for comfort. I feel confused.

I want comfort. Maybe just in the form of hugs. And I'm always scared I'm asking too much.

It makes me feel less aro. Especially when i hear ppl saying they don't yearn. I don't really yearn for ppl in particular, at least not often or strongly. I yearn for comfort, sometimes from specific ppl who i know are safe. And it just makes me feel like shit. It makes me feel like none of my aro friends will understand my needs, and none of my allo friends will believe I'm not romantically interested in them. I just want comfort and companionship. I do dream about doing fun or cozy things with my friends. I get invested in my dreams. I feel sad when they don't work out. That doesn't make me less aro. But sometimes I feel like i don't really fit anywhere.

#queer #aromantic #alterous #personal #sad

[i-just-want-to-destroy]

does what u read and write define u as a person? what do u think about that question?

long ass answer per usual

1. what u read define u as a person

i think this is different for everybody. i consume media a lot and all of them gave me something—ideas, perspectives, etc—however miniscule. but not everyone is like that. some people actually dont consume media that much. or if they do, they aren't that attentive in their engagement to media, ykwim? i know that depending on your social circle on the internet, esp in fandoms, it can feel like everybody is "into something" ... but IRL some people don't actually do that. and for these people media probably dont have as much impact to them as it does to people who put an importance to media in general.

as for people who do ... hm. these days people even pick and choose a media because they feel like this would define them as a person—like a label. like idk, fucking "im a dc fan" vs "im a marvel fan", "i like reading shounen" vs "i like reading seinen". some people deliberately show that they are the kind of person who engage with "this kind of content" instead of "this other kind of content". media can now be an identity marker to express yourself ... like clothes you wear. like an aesthetic. same logic can apply when you hate media, too. like when ppl dont wanna be associated with kpop/that euphoria tv show/boku no hero academia because they dont want to seem like a person who would be associated with said media. 

basically, you are what you read is very similar to you are what you buy kind of mentality, no? 

not that there is anything invalid about it. well, probably there is—ooo consuming media performatively or whatever hur dur—but idrc. i mean i do it too. its also useful to find other people with similar interest, which leads to you finding “better” media to consume. i mean, taste is built. plus, nothing wrong with identifying with a specific kind of content. 

so yeah. i do think the kind of stuff that you consume contribute to who you are as a person and does on some level define who you are. but definitely not all of it. 

also, you dont always agree with everything that you consume, even if you like the aforementioned thing. you are what you read sort of implies that all pieces of media is ... hm ... a propaganda—and one that you just go along with unconditionally. but i dont want to read every story just blindly believing in every single thing it says to me. its a two way street when you read. you change the story too, as a reader. the story is also defined by you.

2. what u write define u as a person

i think it does, but not all of it, and definitely not straightforwardly.

like say somebody writes a telenovela about twins separated at birth and one of them falls in love with a person who turns out to be their sister from another mother and the other twin drives a car off a cliff and has amnesia. this does not mean that the writer actually experiences all of this, yknow? 

a story definitely tells you what kind of person the writer is, i 100% believe this. but that doesnt mean we can always understand what kind of person the writer is. does that make sense? i mean, the same text can be interpreted in a million different ways by a million different readers, dont u think? all of us come out of the story carrying different things and understandings, and not all of them would match up perfectly with what the writer is trying to tell us. you cant really assume you understand who the writer is as a person completely just by reading what they write. 

(and also thats just a weird and invasive behavior.)

i dont really believe in death of the author, personally. but sometimes you just ... cant find the author. this can be due to the author’s skillset in conveying their ideas/our own skillset in interpreting media/reader’s biases and projections on the story/etc, etc. the author is there, for sure, but you dont always see them in the story. i mean, sometimes you just see yourself. 

plus, stories and authors change overtime. stories will always be reinterpreted and rehashed differently depending on the current times, and authors, as long as they arent dead, will change as a person. cuz, yknow, they are people. 

what u read and write define u as a person isn’t wrong necessarily—but it is, however, reductive.

reading bleach did define me as a person though

#wrote an essay sorry #ask

[stealingpotatoes]

The World As It Should(’ve) Be(en)

(feat. some illustrations with no consistent style that were all done in under ten minutes)

I know I’m not the only one who thought Delilah’s “The World As It Should Be” could have been a lot cooler.., so get this: what if there was another mission to dh2

(trust me it's a cool idea -- if you can’t be bothered to read, just look at the pictures) 

So EVERYTHING is the same up until the bit where you go into the portal. You roll up to Death To The Empress thinking that's the last mission... but no! You go in the portal and it gives you your end of mission stats! and you're like ?? wait what i thought i was about to go kill Delilah?

The ACTUAL final mission (and actual Delilah take-out mission) takes place in a Much Better version of The World As It Should Be. 

The final mission starts and you land exactly at the port where you start Death To The Empress, but everything is different about Dunwall. everything’s completely off and wack;  it's sunny, the streets are bright, everyone looks happy! there are flowers everywhere! It's super aesthetic and pretty. The clothing’s also different from the rest of the game. 

You walk through the same streets you walked through in the mission you just did, and there aren't wolfhounds and ppl patrolling the streets, it's not in ruin, it all looks very nice! (you land at the docks for parallels/ to make it very obvious what's changed, not because it makes sense). People are talking; they're happy! there are no guards about at all so you can walk freely and see it all, explore around this world. And the people are talking about how great empress delilah is, mainly. 

And as you go through, you find notes, books, and dialogue etc that hints to an entirely different past; in the first parts of dunwall, you find that delilah has been empress for like 26 years! not just a month and a half. The story pieces together as you go along, and you work out that this is a world where Delilah was never thrown out and her father's false promises were fulfilled. This is her world as it should be. 

But things keep happening to remind you that it isn't real; perhaps the sky sometimes turns to the Void, with whales floating above you, and things will somtimes momentarily look like a painting of Delilah's, not detailed reality. People’s speech repeats and loops too often. Creepiest of all, people randomly turn to stone, then back out, as if it never happened. If you put the corrupted rune in earlier, there might be more glitches than if you didn't. the glitches get more pronounced/ more obvious as you get closer and everything starts to feel a little too perfect, more and more as you go on. Everything becomes more uncomfortable. (And if you kill people in the world, nobody reacts at all. They just let you do it)

Plus, overall it feels like a very childish city? as if this might all be a little girl's dollhouse, not a real place. 

You make your way to the Tower, where you find that there’s a party going on. A really nice party -- puts Lady Boyle’s Last Party to shame. Dunwall Tower again looks super nice and aesthetic. The outfits are again really nice but again rather childish. 

A cool glitch here would be the partygoers keep stopping and just looking dead at you w no transition or anything. One second they’re talking, the next everyone at the party is staring straight at you. Then suddenly they’re talking again, as if that never happened. Also a lot of the partygoers faces repeat too often, reminding you that this is a simulation. 

In the tower/ closer to the tower, you find more history stuff, but it's more intimate/ detailed i guess? ONE VERY NOTABLE THING YOU FIND is letters from Jessamine (!!!) who is very much alive but is just -- and has always been -- the imperial princess!!!!!!!

The letters mention stuff that shows she and delilah are close. jessamine is in this and not suffering bc it's delilah's childish, perfect world! where nothing went wrong and jess is still her sister and del doesn't hate jess! (this is to kind of push it in your face that Del is Like You i guess, but also that smthn smthn she's still thinking like a little girl bc this all stems off childhood trauma etc)

Tho as people, not the player character, Emily & Corvo are ignored in the world as it should be/ there's no mention of jessamine's family bc this is delilah's world and she's not thinking abt other people. 

At the party, you see a woman who you discover is Delilah's mother, alive and well -- which again pushes the whole "this is delilah's perfect world". She talks to you a bit, talks about delilah. Makes you see a different side of her (but you can't be sure it's real; this is Delilah’s perfect, adoring world). She says she ought to go somewhere else. Things keep glitching, whales phase through the walls (it’s super cool). 

You continue through the party, when suddenly you see a woman in a dark dress. She stands out from the rest of the party, in their bright colours, and it’s pretty hard to miss her. This woman is none other than Lady Jessamine Kaldwin, your dead mother or secret wife (whose, bear in mind, soul you let go 2 missions ago). Her outfit is similar to the one in Delilah’s childhood painting of her, childishness of Delilah’s world repeated. 

The fact Jessamine is here makes Delilah almost more relatable (especially seeing as you just spoke to her lost loved one, her mother). It makes you understand her more because you know the protag wants more than anything to have a world where Jess lives. It helps you to understand why Delilah made this more. Actually, this whole mission is sort of "uhuhuh delilah is actually sympathetic" BUT you can still very much interpret it as her lying to you, because this is a manipulation of reality -- what's to say she isn't still lying?

Anyway, you can go up and talk to Jessamine (the game sort of encourages you to talk to her). But she doesn’t recognise you. Emily and Corvo don’t exist in Delilah’s false world, so Jessamine has never known you. It’s very painful for the protag (you can hear it in their dialogue), because their loved one is alive, but she doesn’t know you. You have dialogue options to try to convince her it’s you/ she knows you, but they don’t work. 

While Jessamine doesn’t recognise you, she does say she’d certainly like to spend more time with you. She tries to convince you to stay here, more or less (yes, Inception is one of my favourite movies, what about it?) But the protag says they have a mission/ that they need to see Delilah.    

Jessamine will offer to take you to Delilah, which results in a conversation -- will get to that later. The other option is keep winding through the party and to the throne room yourself. 

Either way, you get to the throne room, where you find Delilah. Again direct parallel. Same pose as before, but this time, her throne room isn't dark and covered in murderous vines, it's bright and full of adoring people/ partygoers (it’s a sort of parallel to the start of the game too, especially if you walk in with Jessamine).

 Delilah doesn’t quite know you’re here. She has a vague idea of who you are, but she doesn’t hate you at all. Breanna is by Delilah’s side, no matter what you did in the Conservatory. However, you don’t see any of the other Coup Crew members there -- this highlights how they were just tools to her, not people she cared for.

So you have three (yes, three — this is where things get even more fun) options here. Lethal, non-lethal, and the option I’ll get to later. 

Lethal is straightforward. You kill Delilah however (nobody stops you), and the entire world begins to collapse in on itself/ break apart and very disruptively becomes the Void again. This maybe ends with you having to fight/ assassinate some Delilah copies in the near empty void/ something more similar to the World As It Should Be as we see in game.

Non-lethal is easier if you placed the corrupted rune on the throne in DTTE, but you can still do it otherwise. It would of course be something to do with trapping Delilah in the World -- somehow cutting off the exit before you go so she can’t escape, should she realise this isn’t reality. 

If you pick either of these ways, you go through the portal again and return to the depressing and dark Dunwall, your Dunwall, and free your family member. (Or take the throne if you’re in super high chaos, I guess). All goes the same. 

Now, the third option. The third option is to stay in the false world. It’s to stay with Jessamine, in this perfect Dunwall. To get this option, you talk to Delilah after Jess takes you to her (though you can still talk to her without Jess guiding you, Jess’ll appear). 

Of course, you have the option to talk to Delilah and say this is all crazy, it’s not real, and proceed to do the former two options. But you also have the option to say you understand her or something, and she more or less offers for you to stay. 

When you first express interest in staying, the Outsider suddenly appears. He’s there to try to convince you that you need to get rid of Delilah, and that your other family member is frozen in stone back in the real Dunwall. But then what Delilah does, absolute madlad, is make a copy of your family member, but how they looked in DH1, not now (idk HOW, but she does it -- she is god in this part of the Void so she just can). Delilah wants you to stay, especially if you’re Marked. Jessamine also tries to convince you to remain here, and she’s harder to ignore. 

You again have the option to reject Delilah’s reality (you get a lot of options to do this), but if you choose to ignore the Outsider, you say something about him “wanting to keep power for himself”, just a lot of insulting really (being about as nice as he was to you, maybe.)e’ll disappear again, unable to stay in Delilah’s part of the Void. And you can stay with your unbroken family, with Jessamine who is alive. And not return to the real world, where you don’t know if your family member will be able to be revived from stone. 

(Seeing as Delilah was in Jess’ heart, perhaps she’s able to make a Jess who is almost the same as the Jess you knew)  

The third ending plays on the themes of “emily/ corvo has been ignoring the suffering in the Empire”. This is the ultimate way you can ignore it all. You can choose to completely and utterly ignore the now in ruin empire that you walked through earlier, and ignore all the people you promised to help along the way and everything you learnt. Or, you can show you’ve changed since the start, and go back to harsh reality. It won’t be nice, but you can’t ignore your people’s suffering again. Imo it gives the character more of an arc, rather than only having the option to return to the throne. 

But yeah, if you pick the third ending, the Outsider of course does his speech. He tells you how the Empire has falled to chaos, fallen to civil war, as everyone vys for the throne and its power. He tells you how your allies fare. And then you see Empress Delilah on her throne in the false world (you see a few glitches to remind you it’s fake). But then you see the protagonist and their family together. It’s a really cute family moment, and aside from the protagonist being the wrong age compared to their family (you’ve got adult Em with dh1 Corvojess, or dh2 Corvo with Jess and 10yo Emily). There are no glitches bc the protag would be ignoring them.  Everything seems entirely perfect. 

Anyways! I hope you liked this! Don’t get me wrong, I love Dishonored 2, it’s one of my favourite games. I just think the World As It Should Be was a sort of missed oppurtunity for something VERY cool. 

#dishonored 2 #dishonored #delilah copperspoon #emily kaldwin #corvo attano #Jessamine kaldwin

[trans-axolotl]

hey! while you’re taking questions about intersex topics- i’ve been having a hard time gauging how to approach researching my body and figuring out definitively if i am intersex while being conscious of my friends who have known that they’re intersex for a long time and have no deniability.. if that makes sense? like i’m still figuring out my situation and i want to avoid making people uncomfortable in the process or being messy about it ESPECIALLY considering i could be wrong. not quite sure how to navigate seriously questioning this when to me the intersex community i have been exposed to seems very wary of people who aren’t sure, and have seen my intersex friends receive very uncomfortable questions from ppl in my situation. do you have any suggestions for how people like me who are figuring out if we are intersex can be less intrusive or be casually/unknowingly intersexist during the process?

additionally- any advice on (IF it turns out i’m correct on this) how to.. tell my intersex friends? i know i wouldn’t have an easy time talking to dyadic people about it but i’m not sure if id really know how to talk abt it to people in the community who previously understood me as dyadic in the first place?

anyway thank you for your time answering questions like these, and i hope your day is going well!

Hey! I hope you're having a good day as well.

I sort of understand both sides of this ask. Questioning and figuring out if you're intersex is such a difficult process and oftentimes it's one that you will want support in. On the other hand, a lot of intersex people have experience with people faking being intersex or especially in trans communities, saying that they "want to be intersex" while ignoring our oppression and also the basic reality of being intersex. (To be clear, I really do not think you are doing that at all. )So I think sometimes it can be hard for some intersex people to interact with questioning intersex people of a certain type, especially if they've had bad experiences in the past.

All that being said, you have a right to talk about your experiences and questioning being intersex isn't something you need to hide! Like you really do deserve support through this process if that's something you want, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with questioning that you're intersex. And I really think that with how considerate you're being, you aren't going to overstep boundaries in the way some people do.

I think great ways to avoid being intersexist during this process is honestly just research. Like research intersex variations so you know what you're talking about, listen to intersex people talk, just get a better idea about being intersex! If you want to pursue medical diagnosis, explore that. I think the thing that frustrates the intersex community is less about questioning intersex people, but people who like have no idea what intersex even is coming in and saying like "omg what if I'm intersex." But it really doesn't sound like that's what you're doing-it sounds like you do understand what intersex is and are genuinely questioning because of your own experiences. And also just don't speak about intracommunity topics before you know if you're intersex.

I think also a good thing would be to just ask intersex people you know if they are okay with you talking with them in the process! There's seriously a lot of intersex people who really are okay with talking with people who are questioning, and explaining things and sharing our own experiences. My dm's are always open for people who are questioning if they are intersex, even though I do take a long time to reply. I know a lot of other intersex people online who are also happy to do that (and if y'all wanna leave a reply if that's something you're comfortable with, feel free.) You can always sit down with your intersex friends and explain that like you've been researching intersex stuff, you have whatever symptoms, and that you're looking into it and you just want to find out more about you and your body! You can also emphasize that you are not identifying as intersex until you actually do figure it out, and that you are just on this process right now. You can ask them if they are okay talking with you about it, and if they say no you can respect that.

And honestly, I'm gonna be real. If people are an asshole to you if you're explaining things like that, I am really not too impressed with them. Intersex stuff is fucking hard, and can be really hard to figure out by yourself. I personally think that the intersex community really does need to be there to support intersex people who are questioning when they are genuine and not fakers or weird shit like that. Like honestly anon, I think you're fine. As long as you didn't do something like wake up and just Announce that you have an intersex variation based on absolutely no research or asking intrusive questions of people without asking for consent first, you're doing great.

I like definitely understand why you are worried though, and I don't think you're being stupid or anything like that! I think that hopefully if it did turn out you were intersex, people who you told would be supportive because if they are intersex they should understand what it's like and also understand that we aren't all born knowing. I get that people are not always like that though, so I think that a good way to approach it is just to explain how you figured it out and that whole process, and explain that you had been questioning for a while and that it's not coming out of nowhere, and now you know for certain. If they react badly to that-that's on them, not you.

Good luck anon, and feel free to reach out if you have any other questions, or if you just need support! 💛💜💛

#actuallyintersex #intersex #asks #personal

[aresrl]

I hihi I am!!! A little nervous w/ doing this bc I've never done this b4 so please bear🐻 w// me💦 May I request a match up? A vision, a romantic partner and maybe a friend and/or enemy? If that's too much feel free to just assign me a vision + partner, ehe/// Preferably male for a romantic match-up, but either gender is fine with a friend and enemy match-up^^ I tried to be as detailed as possible but I think I ended up just ranting, so im v v sorry if it's long! I sort of fluctuate when it comes to being an introvert/extroverted. W// strangers and irl, I'm very introverted and shy!! Rarely speak and if I do it's just the usual "Hi how are you? That's good. I'm good too, thank you for asking:)" yeayea I'm not too. Keen on social interaction irl. But I always do my best to be very nice!! I never wanna come off as mean bc wow what a bad first impression that would be. But with friends / ppl ik online?? Whew I am very very friendly n chatty ^^ Either very high energy or very chill, there's rarely any inbetween. Sometimes I like to jokingly tease my friends but I'd never go too far / make them uncomfortable!! And if I do I always apologize right away!! I like to say that I'm affectionate?? My strongest love language is def physical affection, if not quality time. Idk man there's just something about vibing with someone or hugging them that just aaaaa/// Although I usually display affection w// words of affection bc. Literally most of my friends are online friends so I can't actually hug them, sad times. Idk if this is needed/important info but I just remembered: I'm 5'6 around??? Need glasses bc. Whew i am blind (near sighted), I'm poc (specifically black) anndd, hm. Actually I think thats it for this section, aha. As you can see I'm, not really all that organized. Also I don't have the best attention span - while writing this I'm circling between 4 different apps - and I'm a bit of a mess. And also a little stupid. Just a smidge dumb. But I have my moments - I solved like. 2 puzzles in Inazuma by myself so I think that counts for something. I also find that I tend to talk a whole lot when I have an idea or smthn to say abt a thing I'm super interested in!! That's info-dumping. I info dump. Yes. I also really like to listen to other people talk abt things they like!!!! Its so nice :) I'm protective over people I care about!! I've never done it but 100% would bark at someone who messed with someone close to be. Arf arf yaknow. I tend to he impulsive. I'll do something, and be all "YEAH>:D" and then regret it later. And then I'll do it all over again in a fun little cycle :) I consider myself an optimist, but quickly turn into a pessimist whenever it concerns myself. Fun funfun. Should probably mention that I am. A very insecure person w/ dangerously low self esteem, which is super fun esp when you mix that with the fact that I'm rarely ever motivated to improve. Yayayay Also sort of a pushover?? Like most often than not I'll be convinced to do something, even if I'm not too keen on doing it. Also afraid of confrontation when it comes to my friends and strangers (that is, if it's concerning me!! I'll order smthn for my friend but if I need to order for myself?? uhh stutter time aha). I'm also a mega simp ahah! Srsly though if I fall for someone/get infatuated with someone I. Will be so obvious abt it even though I try very hard not to be. Would gush over that person probably. I don't really like mean people tbh. Like yes I'll be nice and civil with them but!!! I cannot stand!!! Rude people!!! Esp when they're mean for no reason like sir??? maam??? homie??? chill pls ty<3 People who aren't necessarily mean, but moreso have bastard energy and are just really "hehe>:D" but playfully are p poggers tho!!! I think I get along with kids!! I have a little sister,, around like. Nine? And we get along really well!! I also try and match a kid's energy whenever I'm tasked with looking after them. I take pride in the fact that kids like me >:].... even if they sometimes scare me-- Ok, interest time!!

I like art!! Quite a bit!! Less of a realistic artist and more of a cartoonist!! Idk there's just something fun abt drawing cartoons, hehe. I also like self ships - I have quite a bit of them, actually ! Idk its comforting drawings your fictional crushes loving you idkidk. I like writing too! Both original stories, and one-shots or personal fics that are associated with already created media!! Writing character backstories and personalities and stuff is also fun too! I've even made my own fictional world with a full fledged backstory n everything! It's very fun to think about. I'm a day dreamer!!! Yea remember when I said I write stories? I day dream abt potential stories even more. Mmm daydream world so nice so warm so fun I read aswell!! Mostly fantasy books, or stories where animals are the protagonists. Think Warrior Cats. But my favorite book series has got to be Guardians of Ga'Hoole. Fantasy owl books, anyway! X Readers are also things I enjoy reading :) Again, s I m p Also gaming!!! Is something fun I do sometimes!!! Although it's usually Genshin Impact, or Wii Sports/Resort w// my little sister. Oh, also pokemon! I rlly like Primarina, Vaporeon, Sylveon and Vulpix/Ninetails! I absolutely adore sweet foods, and baking is smthn I'm def interested in! Don't like foods w// weird textures though, like beans or mashed potatoes. Also I. Love spice so much. Mmm love it when my mouth burns so bad. Don't have a favorite animal but I've had three cats in my lifetime (btw not important but my current cat is named Sylvester and. He's my baby boy) so I am. A very big cat fan. Probably not needed but I really like sword and claymore characters. Literally all of the characters I main are either sword or claymore users. Although I did get Diona, so I miiight start forcing myself to learn how to aimmm. I see that I tend to like people/characters that are a little more extroverted than me. Upbeat, happy type beat!!! Nice sunshine babies, :) I think thats it! I hope this was good enough? Again, first time doing this (at 2am nonetheless) so forgive me if I got too rambly or did anything wrong ^^ Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this! And I hope your day is good / you had a good day, depending on when you read this, ehe!

Hey! Sorry if the wait has been long! I also love Warrior Cats (I promise myself, one day I'll finish it.)

You received... A Pyro vision! Optimistic, enthusiastic, impulsive, reckless, and a lot of energy are the general characteristics held by the Pyro vision. • I hesitated between the Pyro and Hydro vision, but your energy distinguishes you from the Hydro vision. • You said you were impulsive, always doing something you might regret later but still doing it. • You react quickly: as you said, if somebody hurt someone you love, you won't think twice before barking. Your partner would be... Xingqiu! “This feeling was unexpected.” • At first, you were just friends, and Xingqiu really loved to tease you. Actually, you both teased each other. But eventually, a feeling of love towards you grew into Xingqiu. And that was reciprocated. • Your relationship is filled with teases, jokes, and good/funny moments where you mostly share what you commonly appreciate. • He also knows when to get serious: for example, he does everything to support you during your moments of struggle concerning your self-esteem. Your friend would be... Childe! “Luckily, I'm here!” • You two also share funny moments, especially during situations where your “stupidity” is overtaken by his insight. • Sometimes, he finds you cute. • He likes the fact that you get along well with kids. It leads you to great moments with him and his siblings. • You're quite the opposite in terms of self-esteem. I think it's a good thing because it makes you complementary. Your enemy would be... Albedo! A misunderstanding. • You wouldn't hate each other, but I think Albedo wouldn't like the way you use your energy, and when you're more in a chill mood (meaning you're more available for him to talk), he could get pissed at how much times he'd have to repeat himself for you to understand something. • He's very patient, but he understood quickly that his interests would maybe not be within your reach. • You would just be too different. Worth to mention • You and Venti are like drama queens in Mondstadt. You are good friends. But you both know that you can't be more, as it would eventually both drag you down (because of similar problems). • Klee is also your best friend: both of you share decisions that you definitely will regret later. Or maybe not. • Hu tao and you are kinds of silently competing over who's the best tease, and she beats you. My goal is definitely not achieved. I hope I can catch up tomorrow. And don't worry, it was surprisingly good for a first description!

#genshin request #genshin matchups #genshin #genshin impact

[lesbiancarat]

Lol its fine!! Reply whenever you can ^_^

But ahh true, true. Idk why I thought it would be a hint to the music lol but a sort og an evolution of the concept so to speak. Either way, am excited for the comeback because fresh svt is always iconic. Oohhh the concept photos are all pretty and idk which one to pick jfkshfjsjd. Like they are all very on brand for them but also unique and pretty. Very artsy haha.

Ahh yes, rabbitnwas forever iconic and it was what helped other places like discord to do similar things! But ah understandable!! Both seventeen and nct (when I was getting into kpop more) always felt like BIG well known groups due to their fandoms being so big at least to me. Especially when people always recommended their songs i just assumed they have been around for a while like bts when I joined only to realize they are still rookies. Monster rookies indeed!! The fact so many people love them is enough for me to say they are amazing, well respected and loved by many. Those comments annoy me, especially when people downplay their hard work by claiming 'bighit helped them get more famous' like what!? Yes bighit did help with getting more western attention per se but like downplaying as if they haven't achieved anything at all is confusing to me. Claiming how streaming fans aren't doing s good job to which im like one, mass streaming isn't healthy and two, fans who do try their best and we do beat records of our own. Seventeen isn't unpopular, just because they aren't you know who level doesn't mean they aren't big like do people forget what unpopular means?

Anywhoo, a day late but happy late birthday to our tiger King. May he forever rule the tiger land and take over the world with his tiger agenda lol.

yes! one side fits my aesthetic the best but all the concept photos were nice ^^

and yeah it is annoying but at the same time those people are so detached from reality that I'm just sort of like whatever djflgj like 'it's obvious to anyone who knows what they're talking about you're wrong so I'm not going to bother arguing w you' is sort of my mindset when i see those comments dhfkj bc if i don't think of it that way then i get angry easily. the way i see it bh/hybe definitely is helping SVT with western promotions but like. i don't think SVT/pledis would have been incapable of expanding into the western market on their own if they wanted to. but it's a given that it will be easier and faster with hybe bc they have connections and a reputation in the western market already established. honestly I'd guess that was one of pledis's main incentives for agreeing to the acquisition. but at the same time hybe and western media wouldn't give SVT the time of day if they truly were the flops some ppl try to claim they are lol

and yeah agreed, streaming culture can be super unhealthy. it's one thing to do it if you want to but at the same time don't be losing sleep over it or prioritizing it over your real life responsibilities. and definitely don't guilt trip and say a bunch of toxic things to others to get them to stream... i feel like it would be a lot healthier if fanbases just stuck to simply explaining, hey this is what streaming is and why it can be important (for like music shows etc) and here's how to do it properly if you choose to stream, and then just let people decide for themselves. there would still be people more than willing to do it, and without the guilt tripping maybe even more people would just find it enjoyable. but hey, what do i know? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

i also think most kpop stans underestimate how many views from from casual listeners and fans vs hardcore fans/streamers. like streaming does make a difference, but not 100M views difference like some people try to act like it does. tbh there are a lot of groups that have a smaller core fanbase than SVT but get hundreds of millions of views bc they have a lot of casual listeners. you can even see it internally too: don't wanna cry is SVTs most viewed MV by a mile, it's the only one to pass 100M views, let alone 200M. and it has nothing to do w carats streaming dwc extra hard, it's bc it's arguably SVTs most well known song outside of the fandom. i see reactors all the time who react to it and say "oh i know this song! i had no idea it was by seventeen" and you can look at the comments section and see a bunch of people saying the song has a fandom of its own/even if you're not a carat you have to know this song

kpop stans also put too much emphasis on views imo and also equate views to popularity, which on the surface might make sense but isn't always the case. actually in terms of profit, groups/companies make the vast majority of their money off of album, merch, and ticket sales than they do off of views. but those are all things that are a lot harder to "sell" than views, because they actually cost money for the consumer, while you can watch an MV for free. hence why it makes sense that there are a lot of groups with hundreds of millions of views that get relatively low album sales. it's easy to convince casual fans and and listeners to watch an MV than to get them to buy something

and I'm not trying to diss other groups at all or try to say groups that consistently get 200M+ views are flops, they're absolutely not. I'm just trying to point out that kpop stans completely underestimate the amount of casual listeners that exist

but this is why SVT is honestly such a fascinating case. their MV views are nothing to write home about, and yet they're the second highest selling k-act at the moment and are in the top 10 if not top 5 highest selling k-acts of all time, their album sales are literally insane. a lot of people chalk it up to carats being bad streamers but like i said before, streaming isn't going to make a difference of hundreds of millions of views. this indicates to me that seventeen have a bigger core fanbase (ie people who call themselves carats and actually keep track of seventeens activities) but a smaller audience of casual listeners compare to other kpop groups. and i think a lot of people, carats, and non carats alike, pick up on this in some way or another but don't realize that's what's going on and it manifests in kind of weird ways sometimes

and this fact isn't something that bothers me, i actually think it's super important more than anything for SVT to have a strong core fanbase if what they're shooting for is longevity. but i do find it strange bc as i said, groups that do better with digitals than physical sales make total sense from a consumer standpoint!! so how did SVT end up like this!! it's so interesting for me to think about. i think i would have a better idea of why this is if i had been around since debut but alas

the only thing i can come up with is that SVT is better at retaining fans or like... getting fans invested in the group so people who become carats are less likely to be multistans? bc multistans play a huge part in both being and attracting casual listeners. they're the ones making video compilations and edits and content that includes multiple kpop groups, which is how a lot of non-fans get interested in other groups. whereas if someone is just a carat and making content for SVT the people most likely to watch that content is ppl who are already carats. i know im not the only one that's noticed it's kind of rare for SVT to be included in multistan edits and videos. which i don't blame anyone for, i think most of those people genuinely just don't stan SVT and they shouldn't be expected to include a group they don't know we'll or at all. at the end of the day ppl can make what they like. but it's interesting to observe as a general trend. but idk SVT potentially having a lower percentage of multistans still isn't really an explanation for why SVT doesn't have as many casual listeners bc those things kind of just go hand in hand. like either one could be the cause of the other one if that makes sense

ANYWAY sorry for the long reply but as i said the ratio of SVTs core fanbase vs casual listeners is a topic i find endlessly fascinating dhfmfj

#melia.ask #📖 anon #long post

[misterbitches]

i think what bugs me the most about people being lazy and not wanting to read or pushing a narrative of something you didn't say or do onto you, then saying something about the method of delivery, and then getting their hackles raised at anything that pushes back (i do this too. like many times i overreact because i didnt read something right, or i don't think that maybe i don't need to be heard, or i take on a more combative tone even if someone agrees. so i need to de-escalate for myself as well and be aware....) esp on the basis of length and some grammar and syntax issues—not necessarily the content itself—is that i like....edit for a living.

i have a dumb BA and i have my MFA. i copy-edit on the side as a side-job and i am good at it. i am a literal video editor, a script editor, a scriptwriter, and artist. so like not only did i "train" in that, i have experience, and like.... im good at it. but that's my WORK like that's LITERALLY MY CAREER so when im on the internet i'm not trying to write a fucking thesis that's so intense and edited. i do that for my career and it's effort. this is me time, leisure time, im not being judged or graded and i don't need to put my whole back into something that is largely inconsequential. i'm typing from the top of the fucking dome and that's it man like there's a diff between a thing that takes me 5m to write and something i have to edit a trillion times on top of my learning disabilities and adhd. which isnt a fucking death sentence. adhd helps me be more creative, my LDs are what lead me to art, i'm intelligent and talented even if i hate myself and it's painful. idk how many times i can say this you know. someone said to me once "you're obviously not a native eng speaker" and fucking obviously i am but that wasnt the issue it was saying i can't construct sentences or whatever when im literally just stream of consciousness and it is just so invalidating. i dont like saying it but it's literally people calling you stupid for something you're not trying to heavily regulate because you ARE ALWAYS SELF-REGULATING.

honestly i get shocked at my typos or ways i word things if i re-read them but in my brain it just comes out that way. it doesnt always make sense either idk i try and say it. but i dont want to call it ableist it's just weird. fucking weird and it feels soooooo fucking bad bc i already know lmao im sorry man sometimes commas look like periods and i think im typing in the right tense or the right word but im not idk what to tell ya. u can edit it for me if u want

yesterday i couldnt focus at all like i was watching history (surprise) and had to keep rewinding because my brain started to trail off and i would stare at this box. or ill be thinking about something else the whole time. then i get anxious and try and concentrate and i cant. it's a lot of adrenaline buddy and our brains are like rubber or whatever ok im built different ;-;

other things adhd makes fun:

- when you receive your THC and it takes you hours to use it because your brain is trailing off. DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO HAVE TO WAIT FOR UR BRAIN TO STOP PROCRASTINATING TO HAVE FUN? dumbest thing ever esp since ppl w impulse issues <3 drugs cos we r sad every1 thinks we r STUPID

- when u literally just stare at the same page for like 10m. when it takes u all fucking day to watch 5 minutes of a stupid BL bc ur brain is like THIS THEN THIS THEN THIS THEN THIS AND WHAT IS THAT? THEN THIS THEN THIS THEN THIS esp for me as a FILMMAKEURRRR AN ARTISTE A PRETENTIOUS BITCH i cant turn it the fuck off

- WITHOUT INSURANCE MY MEDS ARE 400 DOLLARS SO IF YOU GIVE ME THAT MONEY, I WILL LISTEN TO YOU

this is something i've talked abotu a lot and ppl who know me know that i really struggle with this. maybe that's why i turned to art i dont know but i think there is a gap between people who are willing to read and people who just aren't and then dont bother. but i feel like you should sort of take the time to maybe understand a person may have diff communication styles. like i can understand people or try my best if they dont have a great grasp on english. we know what the fuck communication is. there's this one troll i know of who literally just types nonsense because he doesn't know what he's talking about, he's a dick, and he's not a native eng speaker. that's a time where i'm like i literally cannot with this person because i dont think he even tries lmao. i just ignore him bc he says dumb shit now so maybe if someone thinks that of me they should just move it righgt along ithink im just going to start being a dick and calling eveyrone ableist and start acting like the ~*~*~*snowflake~**~~*~* they dont like bc bitch if im sad we all sad now

i also find it IRONIC when non black ppl comment on a flow or whatever since u all love to use our words wrong bitch back off if u cant say nigga i take 0 writing advice from u

all this is to say i know it's not cos of my adhd and learning disorders since i can do my jobs efficiently. i think that......people are just upset when u critique something that has nothing to do with them as a person but they tied their identity to it so now we all have to suffer im sorry that you...idk don't care about the world? who knows, what do you want? lol

[tiny-space-robot]

Okay so Fire Emblem anon here!! Here's a Kinda Super Long Bc I Got Carried Away description of a few Fire Emblem games, plus some characters that seem like they hit tropes you like!

The good news is that there's not a super huge overarching timeline, there's several smaller timelines that are seperate from one another except for the crossover games. I'm gonna go with describing the newer ones that you're most likely to be able to get your hands on and play; a lot of people complain that they lean into some anime-tropey stuff and are too easy, but tbh, that's a perk just as often as it isn't. Basically, it's Game of Thrones, but rated T and with more cute girls and old men who are friendly instead of creepy.

Tbh, it's a turn-based strategy game with visual novel elements for characterization, if strategy games aren't your thing and you're just interested in the characters, watching the support conversations on Youtube might be more your thing. All the characterization, none of the resetting the same goshdang level thirty times. Anyways, description of the games in passing, including a brief description of the plot concept, pros and cons, trigger warnings, and some characters you might be interested in if you're just looking up characters.

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Awakening: for the 3DS. Follows Robin, an amnesiac mage, after they're found in a field by a band of knights called the Shepherds. Involves the undead, a twink in a mask, timey-wimey shenangians, and the usual cast of oddballs you'd expect from a Fire Emblem game.

Pros of Awakening: customizable player character, intro of Casual mode (turns off permadeath) and the Pair Up system, which lets you put characters together for shipping reasons strategy and stat boosts. Also doubles as a shipping simulator, since you can pair off characters and meet their later in the game due to said timey-wimey shenangians.

Cons of Awakening: there are some....very concerning combos of names/skin tones/plot relevance for certain characters, so go in with a warning about implicit racism. Also if you like strategy games, this game is relatively easy to break and make "too easy," but tbh that's what Lunatic Mode (the Ultra Unfair Hard Mode) is for.

Trigger warnings across the main plot: underhanded politics, attempted assassinations, martyrdom, an optional character is implied to stalk Robin but idk how to tag that, identity crises, conflicts within a family, character who isn't you looks like you, backstory child abuse, an optional character is a bad portrayal of DID if you squint?

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Fates: is actually a group name for two games set in the same universe, and a DLC bonus story: Birthright, Conquest, and Revelations. All for the 3DS. All three games star Corrin, a pacifist raised in seclusion in the kingdom of Nohr. Each game reflects a different path Corrin can take in navigating the war between the nations of Nohr and Hoshido: Birthright has them stand with Hoshido, Conquest with Nohr, and Revelations has them strike out (nearly) alone. Each path has a completely different storyline, cast of characters, and difficulty curve.

Pros of Fates: honestly, the characters here cater the most to the avid pro-shipper and multi-shipper. I just love this cast. Both Nohr and Hoshido have four members of the royal family you can play and get to know, each of those royal family members has two retainers who are various levels of dedicated and/or unhinged, and the cast just widens and widens. Also a character customization and shipping simulator point for the same reasons Awakening gets it. Also, canon fujoshi rights (there's a character with a skill called Daydream, which boosts her stats when two male characters are paired up near her. one of us, one of us). Also the first game with canon queer characters: both Rhajat and Niles are bi.

Cons of Fates: unfortunately, the writing is kinda rushed or badly translated in some places. Also *shakes IntSys* my lore! Give me more lore! Also, iirc, you could get both physical games in a bundle for a discount when they came out, but not anymore, so it's sorta like Pokemon with version exclusives. Which is less fun, since you can't directly trade characters. Also the fandom for this game is RIFE with discourse, which is kinda sad bc I just wanna talk my ships with ppl sjxhdjdn

Trigger warnings for Fates: child abuse might as well be Nohr's middle name, in-universe racism (since Hoshido is p obviously Japan-inspired, and a lot of Nohrians are rancid to Hoshidans), kidnapping, on-screen murder, lots of fighting your loved ones (on both main routes, you gotta fight the playable characters from the other side AAA), su-c-de, death of sibling(s) in certain routes, demonic-like possession, there's like six characters people can read as bad mental illness rep, Niles especially is discourse bait for being a kinky (yes that's canon) bi man of color but also he's awesome so die mad antis

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Shadows of Valentia: for the 3DS. A remake of Gaiden, the second game in the series. Follows Alm, a farm boy from a small village in Zofia, and Celica, his childhood best friend. Zofia and the nation to its north, Rigel, are two nations ruled by the dragon gods Mila and Duma, respectively. Normally, they're in equilibrium, but Rigel is invading and Mila is missing, prompting Alm and Celica to independently investigate the problem.

Pros of SoV: the most like the old-school Fire Emblem games, but it also has the permadeath-off mode. also the first to be fully voice acted! The art style is gorgeous, and the plot was polished up from the old game--two characters names Berkut and Rinea were added, and they are PEAK OTP the diskhorse can die mad. Also the cast is pretty fun all around, from buddy squad and the older brother/dad figure they adopted along the way to "hello this is my gang of childhood friends, we're gonna kill a god" Also introduces Mila's Turnwheel, which lets you rewind your moves if you realize you goofed big time and screwed yourself over.

Cons of SoV: has the most references to other games, but you won't, like, be lost if you don't get them. You just might have a few interludes of "who tf is Camus/the White Wing Brigade/etc" but it's easy enough to look up on the wiki. Also tbh, the plot kinda drags in the middle, there's some filler battles to try and make it feel more realistic and it feels...weird. Also no custom character, you are Alm and Celica and you will Like It.

Trigger warnings for SoV: you know that thing where a girl character gets killed off for a guy character to angst over? the game starts with a fakeout version of that. also a character slowly goes mad over the course of the plot (but it's really well done imo?), there's some self-sacrifice stuff in there, classism is a major theme, possession/selling your soul™, there's a couple of levels where you're exploring tombs/prisons, I'm sure there's something else but I'm forgetting right now

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Three Houses: on the Switch. The newest game in the series, and the most polished imo? Stars Byleth, a wandering mercenary turned teacher at the Officer's Academy. The Academy, housed in Garreg Mach Monastery, teaches youths from across the land of Fodlan how to be warriors, commanders, and knights. Students are sorted into three houses based on their country of origin: the Black Eagles are from ghe Adrestian Empire, led by the heiress-apparent Edelgard; the Blue Lions are from the kingdom of Faerghus, led by prince Dimitri; and the Golden Deer are from the Leicester Alliance, led by Claude, grandson of the Duke. You choose one of these houses to lead, and then everything quickly goes sour.

Pros of Three Houses: It's such a rich experience! The music is incredible, there's so much lore, and you can wander around the Monastery and hang out with the students to your heart's content. Also, it's four storylines for the price of one, even if they're all relatively similar in the first half. It does a pretty solid job of weaving together its themes into a satisfying narrative that will make you consider everyone involved. Also we got our first bi main lord (Edelgard) and non-white main lord (Claude is mixed race) in one fell swoop! Also, given the setting, it's teacher/student ship heaven.

Cons of Three Houses: just gonna come right out and say it: one of the villainous factions in the game is pretty substantially tied up with some anti-semitic tropes. There's no way to ignore it, it's just bleh, and I'm not gonna send anyone in without that warning. Also, though there's some characters you can persuade to switch sides, or spare, there's no route where there's a happy ending for everyone. Also there are so many people who are fake deep about the themes of the game, so be ready for the worst takes imaginable about your faves. also super trigger heavy, see below.

Trigger warnings: MANY. Garreg Mach and the Church of Seiros are very reminiscent of catholic religious stuff, for anyone with religion triggers, blood in cutscenes, death of a parent, death of a sibling (different characters), major gaslighting vibes in some places, lots of people going unhinged, some white savior™ vibes in places, body horror, creepy ass weaponry, backstory genoc-de (mostly not related to the anti-semitism), blood magic (definitely related to the anti-semitism), in general it goes to a lot more effort than the other games to make you think about what's Actually going on, even if it doesn't always work.

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As for characters you'd like, if you just want to look some characters up, my recommendations based on what I understand about you include:

Awakening: Libra fits 'gnc man of the cloth' so well it's actually a conversation in game: "so what's a woman of the cloth doing here?" "...man, sir, man of the cloth." And Then He Never Gets Misgendered Again. Also Nowi's supports sometimes feel like a jab at antis-- she's a manakete, a person who can transform into a dragon. Manaketes also grow really slowly, as in "middle aged looking manaketes are like 1000 years old," so she's got major baby face and copes with being mistaken for a teenager by making jokes. Also Gregor, who she first appears with, is pretty fun--older mercenary with a thick accent who is like 80% here for a good time. Also Walhart, who's a villain but got some content added as DLC.

Fates: any interactions between Corrin, Leo, and/or Camilla are probably right up your alley--Camilla is obsessively protective over her siblings in a way that's Very Definitely Platonic™, and Leo also canonically has a crush on her in something that was cut in the English release. Also Gunther--once upon a time he was your classic knight in shining armor, now he's semi-retired, Corrin's personal guard, and covered in scars (and his voice is gorgeous too)

Echoes: my biased answer is to listen to every single line Ian Sinclair read for Berkut because he absolutely did NOT have to go that hard. My actual answer is to point you in the direction of the pegasus sisters Catria, Palla and Est, or maybe the older gentleman who's the head of the Priory, I forgot his name oops abbdbd. Also Clive is a devoted husband to one Mathilda, who looks just like an older version of his sister Clair 🤔

Three Houses: knowing you, you'd adore Hanneman--an older professor who's extremely passionate about his work, to the point where he tends to forget personal space and such. Also Seteth, like I mentioned before (join me in simping for him and his gorgeous pecs) and like, honestly, I know ppl make jokes about Alois but he's rlly good. Soft, awkward but he doesn't care, dad jokes everywhere. And also Mercedes, both because she's the biggest sweetheart imaginable and everyone should love her, but also bc she is just walking potential for the kinds of stuff you post on this blog. On one hand, she's the oldest student at the Academy and attached at the hip to one of the youngest, Annette (tho people act like they have a way bigger age gap then they actually do) and on the other hand, she has a long-lost half brother she can encounter (who I will not name for HUGE HUGE spoilers reasons) who she spends the rest of her life with in one of her endings. Heck, he has three possible endings total! Total!

Basically I brought the games up bc I'm used to being on the side of the fandom where everyone shoos anything uncomfortable under the rug, but there's so much material here that's being wasted I SWEAR

If you have any other questions I can send another anon? Your call! Thanks for hearing me out I love ur blog :3

OKAY!!! sorry for answering so late, but this ask was pretty much a BOOK (not that I´m complaining though! thank you so much! ;;u;;)

and from what I read here, I THINK if I´m going off on my first fire emblem adventure, I´ll try and pick up three houses if I get the chance! I have read your trigger warnings (thank you so much! ;u;) and I think I can take it! >:3

again though, I am really, really not a fan of anime and the anime artstyle in general (blergh! XP) so I´m not sure how I´ll cope with that in particular, but then again, an artstyle does not make a game! u3u

AND HANNEMAN SOUNDS LIKE A WINNER TO ME!! I looked him up and OOOF!!! he may not have NEARLY as many wrinkles as I´d like him to have, but the facial hair is definitely a step in the right direction! ;3c

NOW YOU GOT ME INTERESTED!! 

LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻